1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clamping mounting for glass plates, comprising an attachment bolt which passes through a bore in the glass plate and has a head and a barrel.
2. Background Information
Bores in glass plates are commonly used to join glass plates to form large-area glass facades or to attach glass plates to suitable supporting elements. Because the aforementioned bores and also the fastening or connecting elements which engage in or pass through the bores are subject to certain manufacturing tolerances, bringing the bore in the glass plate into flush alignment with the axis of the fastening or clamping element is a common problem. If the connection between the glass plate and the fastening or supporting element permits, these tolerances can be compensated for with the fastening or supporting element.
German Utility Model 77 05 090 discloses a clamping mounting for all-glass structures in which a clamping rail is used to connect adjacent glass plates and in which tolerance compensation is realized by means of bores in the clamping rail of sufficient size so as to allow sufficient lateral play for the nut of the attachment bolt.
European Patent Application 0 617 190 A1 discloses a connection between two adjacent glass plates in which the clamping rail is at some distance to the glass plate and the barrel of the attachment bolt is mounted in a spherical head in the clamping rail.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,928 teaches a similar solution to tolerance compensation; here the socket member is located directly in the bore in the plate. To realize effective tolerance compensation, the supporting element connected to the socket element must be of a correspondingly complex design having joints which can flex relative to one another.
German Utility Model 93 18 862 teaches a method of tolerance compensation between the bores in the separate panes of a multi-pane glass plate. Relatively large diameter bores are made in the outer as well as the inner panes. During installation, the bore surrounding the actual attachment bolt is filled with cast resin. Such large bores are aesthetically undesirable and the required use of cast resin makes installation correspondingly complex.
European Patent Application 0 506 522 B1 teaches a method of tolerance compensation in which eccentric rings which can be turned relative to one another are inserted into, and partially line, the bores in the glass plates. Installation is complex here as well, as the rings must be inserted into the bore with zero play.
German Patent No. 33 28 338 C3 discloses a device for moving a first component relative to a second component, which device could be used for connecting adjacent exterior door panels of motor vehicles, for example. Adjacent components are moved relative to one another by screwing a distance bush on which the first component is mounted into the second component. The second component is either equipped with a threaded bolt or itself forms a corresponding flange into which the distance bush can be screwed. Because at least the second component must have a flange-like prolongation, such a device is unsuitable for interconnecting glass plates or attaching glass plates to suitable supporting elements.
Finally, German Patent No. 44 36 483 A1 discloses an attachment device for attaching building panels, in which the bolt used to attach the panel is mounted in a through bore in the panel to permit spherical pivoting motion. This is realized by means of clamping jaws which are mounted flush on both sides of the panel and can be bolted together. The clamping jaws themselves have dome shaped supporting surfaces against which the bolt is indirectly propped via a cap screw which can be screwed into the bolt. Because the bolt and the elements attached thereto are mounted in the through bore in the panel so as to permit spherical pivoting motion, the bolt can pivot several degrees relative to the panel. It is obvious that the necessary pivoting motion occurs completely within the through bore in the panel and that a correspondingly large through bore is therefore required. If the through bore in the panel and the attachment bore in a wall or similar structure are misaligned as a result of construction tolerances, the bolt--and the foot of the bolt in particular--is inevitably inclined relative to the wall or similar structure, and flush contact between the foot of the bolt and the support structure cannot be guaranteed.